1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
International Publication No. 2005/008755 discloses, in its pamphlet, a substrate processing apparatus that the film is to be formed uniform in thickness while controlling the heating temperature on the substrate by determining a change temperature amount N for realizing a desired mean temperature difference M through use of the difference, between a temperature at the end of and a temperature at the center of the substrate, occurring upon changing the heating temperature in a predetermined time and the steady-state difference in temperature at between the end and the center of the substrate.
However, even where a desired mean temperature difference M is realized, the film formed on a substrate is limited in thickness uniformity.
Meanwhile, there is known a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that is arranged with a plurality of temperature sensors to detect an interior temperature of the reactor so that the interior of the reactor can be controlled at a predetermined temperature by use of a temperature control device depending upon the detected temperature.
However, in such a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, there is a problem that the interior temperature of the reactor tends to fluctuate and hence the film formed on the substrate readily varies in thickness where conducted maintenance or exchanged the temperature sensor as compared to that in newly starting the use of the apparatus.
This problem is considered mainly responsible for the errors in mounting quartz members, e.g. temperature sensors and outer and inner tubes. There is a difficulty in eliminating the mount errors perfectly.
Furthermore, there is known a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a rapid-cooling mechanism for cooling the interior temperature of the reactor rapidly. In the rapid-cooling mechanism of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, connection is provided between a gas outlet port of its rapid-cooling blower and an exhaust equipment of a factory or the like where the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is installed.
However, such a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus involves a problem that the film formed is non-uniform in thickness and quality due to the variation of cooling capability at the cooling mechanism during film forming because exhaust pressure varies at the exhaust equipment.